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Review: New Polar Heart Rate Monitors- FT4 & FT7

Article by lisaFollow me:

Anyone in the market to purchase a heart rate monitor (HRM)?

My heart rate monitor is one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment and I truly think it is necessary to achieve weight loss and fitness goals.  I wrote about my love for my old HRM previously and now, April and I are sharing with you our thoughts on the two newest Polar HRM’s to hit the market.

Polar FT7

I have an older Polar HRM (heart rate monitor) and I never gave it any thought that there might be bigger and better HRM’s out there. However, once I put this watch on and figured out the basic features, I realized that yes, indeed, there are bigger and better HRM’s out there and this was one of them!

My favorite features of the Polar FT7 include:

  • The “pause” feature. Oh, this one is the best features ever invented. I like to warm-up, pause to stretch, then get going on my run or workouts. I don’t want to include my stretching as part of my workout time, especially for running or if I feel the need to stretch further along in a run. The “pause” feature allows me to pause my HRM, then start it up again when I am ready. Pure genius!
  • The sleek design of the watch. OK, I’m a girl and well, the last HRM watch I had was big and bulky and frankly, a little ugly. This one is pretty, oh so pretty. Sleek, sporty, clean. LOVE IT. My husband even commented that it looked nice enough to wear every day.
  • EnergyPointer feature. This feature tells me how much time I spent in my fat burning zone and how much time I spent in my fitness zone. This allows me over time, to know if I am achieving my fitness goals, whether it be to burn fat or to improve my level of fitness.
  • Calories burned. I am little obsessed with this feature. Since I have been using a HRM for years now, I kinda know how many calories I need to be burning to lose weight and to maintain my weight. I am constantly amazed at how many calories I can burn in a period of time given my level of energy put into the exercise. Plus, I leave my calorie counter ON for a while after I finish exercising so that I can see how many more calories I burn from the benefit of my exercise.  Obsessed, yes, I know.
  • Heart rate. This is a heart rate monitor so yes, it tracks my heart rate. During a workout, it will tell me what my heart rate is and afterwards, the watch gives me a summary of my average heart rate and maximum heart rate. Very useful information to have.
  • Basic watch features. Time, date, calender and a low battery indicator. Back lit console, waterproof up to 50m, stopwatch and display information available in 8 languages.  Wowsers.
  • The transmitter. I feel like this transmitter is better made and it is comfortable to wear. The battery in both the watch and the transmitter can be changed easily without having to send it in to Polar- SCORE!

Overall, I am very happy with the Polar FT7. I know there are even more features of this watch that I am not even using just yet, but once I find a few minutes to look into those features, I will.  This watch can take you to a whole new level of fitness, or at least make you aware of what the inside of your body is doing as you workout.

Polar FT4

April’s thoughts:

For a while I thought about getting a heart rate monitor.  I’ve seen ones in stores and on TV, and I know they can be very helpful not only in keeping track of your heart rate, but also they can be great work out aides.

When my Polar FT4 arrived on my doorstep, I actually squealed with delight!  I love love love the look of this piece.  It’s cute and sports-y.  My only problem with the piece itself is that it’s a bigger watch than I’m used to wearing, but for exercising or hiking, it’s perfect!

The settings are super easy to follow and set.  The numbers are big and easy to read and see even when you’re moving around.  I’m still getting used to wearing the transmitter belt, but after wearing it for a bit, I don’t even think about it.  I love that not only does it keep track of my heartrate, but it also will show me how many calories I’ve burned and will show me how long I’ve worked out.

I see myself using this not only on my runs, but when I go hiking as well.

Features:

  • Automatic age-based target zone (% / bpm) – %/bpm
  • Automatic/Manual target zone (% / bpm / HRR%)
  • Backlight
  • Graphical target zone indicator
  • Heart rate (displayed as % of maximum heart rate)
  • Heart rate (displayed as bpm)
  • HeartTouch™, button-free operation of wrist unit
  • KeyLock
  • Manual target zone (% / bpm) – %/bpm
  • Visual and audible alarm in target zones
  • Water resistant – 50m

So Sisters (and brothers), I have to ask, are any of you in the market for a heart rate monitor?

Maybe you would like to add this to your Christmas list or maybe print this out and hand it to your spouse so that they can “surprise” you with one, wrapped up prettily and sitting under the Xmas tree.  Let me know in the comments what you think about these two watches.

Of course, you could always go sit on Santa’s lap and let him know if you have been naughty or nice!

Disclosure:  Polar USA provided both April and I with the FT4 and FT7 for review purposes only.  We were in no way compensated for our opinions.

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Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: FT4, FT7, heart rate monitor, Heart rate monitor review, heart rate monitor reviews 2009, POLAR, Polar heart rate monitor review, review

About lisa

I'm a runner, on my way to becoming a marathoner. I am 42 years old and have found a peaceful acceptance of my body. Through running, I have discovered who I am, besides a mom to three kids and a wife to one. I truly enjoy sharing my love of fitness with others while empowering and motivating women to conquer their fear of the unknown. In my spare time, I manage the Run with the Sisterhood Facebook page, work here and there for Zooma Women's Race Series, and work part-time at our local YMCA.

Comments

  1. Nancy says

    12/19/2009 at 11:11 pm

    I've thought about getting one for awhile now, but unfortunately they are a little out of my price range right now.

    Reply
  2. kay6672 says

    12/20/2009 at 1:03 am

    Thanks for the review! I'm in the market for a HRM, so I've been scouring the internet for weeks looking at reviews and features. The only caveat — I want one with an interval timer, and I'm pretty sure neither of these has that feature. Am I correct?

    There are too many choices out there! Polar. Garmin. Timex. Foot pods. GPS. USB connections. I don't know how many of all those cool features I actually need. But they all sound awesome!

    Reply
  3. Lisa_ShrinkingJeans says

    12/20/2009 at 7:31 am

    I'm not sure about the interval timer but if you click on the link for the FT&, you can find more information. I am a huge fan of Polar and they have a long line of watches. If you check out their site, I bet you could find one that meets your needs!

    Reply
  4. Lisa_ShrinkingJeans says

    12/20/2009 at 7:31 am

    That would be FT7!

    Reply
  5. Lisa_ShrinkingJeans says

    12/20/2009 at 7:31 am

    They aren't cheap, but once you are able to get one, you will be so glad you did!

    Reply
  6. Christy_TheSistherhood says

    12/20/2009 at 7:58 pm

    I'm getting a Polar HRM for Christmas and CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

    Reply
  7. crookedeyebrow says

    12/20/2009 at 8:08 pm

    now i want one. I never realized they did that much!

    great review ladies!

    Reply
  8. Heather says

    12/20/2009 at 10:20 pm

    Oh. I love the look of the FT4!
    And a calories burned feature? I'm sold. I'm in the market, need to go check out the Polars. Great review ladies!

    Reply
  9. TheaDramaMama says

    12/20/2009 at 11:01 pm

    HRMs are one of the things that I always remember too late that I want one! I need to start saving some money to buy one for myself, because I definitely think it will help push me out of my own comfort zone when it comes to working out!

    Reply
  10. Christie O. says

    12/21/2009 at 7:59 am

    absolutely LOVE my pink heart rate monitor, especially for the color! i don't have the same one you do, i think i have the model from just before this one, but it ROCKS! the only bad thing about it is that sometimes I lose the strap in my workout bag because the plastic piece and the strap don't stay together and that bugs me a little. but i love actually using it and i LOVE the calories feature!!! HEART RATE MONITORS ARE A MUST HAVE!!!! i just bought one for my dad for xmas. (hope he's not reading! actually I know he's not, he's in a tree stand hunting as we speak.)

    Reply
  11. heart rate monitor watches says

    02/15/2010 at 8:40 am

    .., there are different heart rate monitor that is presented in the market… in my case i prefer to use heart rate monitor watch because it is convenient..

    Reply
  12. anne says

    03/27/2010 at 10:35 am

    I bought the FT4 today and could hardly wait to get on my bike and try it out. So far it works very well, I love the calories burned feature, an extra motivation tool for me. And as you say, it's so easy to configure and use.

    Reply
  13. anne says

    03/27/2010 at 3:35 pm

    I bought the FT4 today and could hardly wait to get on my bike and try it out. So far it works very well, I love the calories burned feature, an extra motivation tool for me. And as you say, it's so easy to configure and use.

    Reply
  14. Christine says

    05/07/2010 at 5:57 pm

    I just started using my FT7 and I LOVE it! Makes me want to work out so much harder!!

    Reply
  15. Rhonda says

    06/17/2010 at 11:25 pm

    Can you wear it all day to track calories burned? throughout the day? can it show you when you were most active vs. down times, etc. I am interested in learning more.

    Reply
  16. Greatdanejes says

    01/05/2011 at 7:53 pm

    Thoughts on the accuracy? My PolarFT4 tells me that I am burning more calories then the read-outs on the gym equipment. Which is right? I will wear mine all day long and the counter shows that I am burning between 1800-2000 cal on a non-work out day. Today was a work out day and it showed that I burned 700 cal during my workout (at 5 am)… it’s 2:50 pm right now and I have been wearing it all day and it says that I’m already at 1990 calories… so should easily be at 2500 by bedtime. Do these numbers sound right?

    Reply
  17. Greatdanejes says

    01/05/2011 at 7:53 pm

    Thoughts on the accuracy? My PolarFT4 tells me that I am burning more calories then the read-outs on the gym equipment. Which is right? I will wear mine all day long and the counter shows that I am burning between 1800-2000 cal on a non-work out day. Today was a work out day and it showed that I burned 700 cal during my workout (at 5 am)… it’s 2:50 pm right now and I have been wearing it all day and it says that I’m already at 1990 calories… so should easily be at 2500 by bedtime. Do these numbers sound right?

    Reply
    • Christy_TheSistherhood says

      01/06/2011 at 1:34 am

      I have a Polar FTsomething or another and I feel like the accuracy is pretty good! The gym equipment doesn’t take your height/weight/age into account, so I don’t think it’s as accurate as a HR monitor with your info and on your body. I once wore mine all day just to see, and I don’t remember the exact number of calories for the day, but it was somewhere over 3000.

      Reply
    • Lauriebeaman says

      01/11/2012 at 2:34 pm

      Yea, you burn calories just by breathing… called BMR. I’m a bigger gal and burn 1.4 every minute. Typically, people take the amount burned for a workout and subtract their BMR to see what they actually burned for the workout. Google BMR.. there are calculators that help you figure out what you should burn each day just by being alive. If you wanted, you could then divide by 24 and then again by 60 to get it by the minute.

      Reply
  18. Gerianne Dvorshock Oboril Slav says

    03/14/2014 at 11:43 am

    If you had to pick either the FT4 or the FT7 which would you pick? Are there a lot of differences between the 2? I work for a health care organization and we can buy them at a discount.

    Reply

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